Christmas Cookies
by Nunda
Summary: Derek can't sleep...Casey's up making cookies. Dasey Christmas oneshot!


**Christmas Cookies**

By Nunda

Disclaimer: Just a fanfiction written by a fan of the show, _Life With Derek._ ;)

_I just want you for my own _

_More than you could ever know _

_Make my wish come true _

_All I want for Christmas is you_

Derek Venturi flopped over in his bed and glanced tiredly at his alarm clock. _Two o'clock? _That was not good at all. He screwed his eyes shut and tried to clear his mind like his dad taught him when he was younger. _Clear your mind, close your eyes, and fall asleep_. It seemed simple enough but it just wasn't working. There was too much on Derek's mind. Tomorrow was Christmas and there would be a lot of long distant relatives coming over. Giving up on getting much sleep, Derek got up and looked out his window. His front lawn was covered in a blanket of snow. Derek sighed, his breath frosting the window, as he looked out. He'd be the one out there shoveling the snow tomorrow before the guests arrived. He would get Edwin to do it for him, but Edwin didn't have the hockey-developed arms that Derek did.

Derek walked silently downstairs to get a glass of milk, the cure-all for sleeplessness. It was then he saw light pouring from the kitchen and the soft hum of his step-sister, Casey MacDonald. He stood on the bottom step, hiding in the darkness, listening to her hum "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". That girl was humming Christmas music at two o'clock in the morning—she had to be insane.

He cleared his throat, making his presence known, and entered the kitchen and took in the sight. Casey stood in the middle of what looked like a war zone involving flour bombs in their kitchen.

"What the--?" Derek rubbed his eyes and looked at her again.

"Merry Christmas." She said happily. A grin pasted across her face in an unnatural show of friendliness toward her stepbrother.

"You're not right." He said shaking his head. He leaned against the counter and took a swipe for one of the cookies she was placing in a tin box.

She swatted his hand away. "Not until tomorrow."

"But it is tomorrow." He protested.

"These are for the guests." She said. "Every year I bake sugar cookies and give them as Christmas presents."

He looked at her with a cocked eyebrow and muttered, "Cheapskate."

"Hardly." She said defensively. She crossed her arms over her chest.

He walked around the counter and stood in front of her.

"Can I please get the milk?" He asked impatiently. "I'm really sleepy and unlike some people I can't just be happy all the time without sleep."

"But it's Christmas." She said, her bottom lip beginning to poke out.

"So?" He shrugged and poured a tall glass of milk. "It's just another day when family that you hardly see all comes by at once. They crowd in the house, make you feel bad for not keeping in touch, then, leave with promises to visit but never do until the next Christmas."

"Sorry the Venturi Christmases have sucked so much. But we MacDonalds always make Christmas special." Casey wiped her hands on a hand towel. "Don't touch my cookies and wait here."

Casey eyed Derek and disappeared into the family room. As soon as she was out of sight, Derek grabbed a cookie from the tray. He sat down on one of the barstools and shoved the whole cookie in his mouth. _Who knew Casey MacDonald was so good at making cookies? _

She came back into the kitchen with her hands behind her back then frowned upon seeing Derek with a mouthful of cookie.

"I told you no cookies." She said.

"Sorry." He said with a mouthful. He didn't see what the big deal was.

She sat down next to him and pulled a present from behind her back. "I wanted you to go ahead and open this before tomorrow's crowd gets here."

"Case—but I didn't get you anything." He asked.

She just shrugged it off, "Open it, already!"

He looked at her cautiously and gingerly unwrapped the gold and silver box. Inside was a CD case.

"_D-Rock Hits_?" Derek turned the professional quality CD over in his hands.

"Remember those jam sessions we recorded?" Casey asked him. He nodded slowly. "Well, I sent them to a friend of my Dad's and he made a professional CD out of it. And look—lyrics and photos of us."

Casey pulled out the paper in the CD.

"Thanks, Case. This is real cool." He folded the paper back up and slid it back in the CD case. "I feel bad that I didn't get you anything now."

"It's okay. Really." She said and went back to humming and putting cookies into tins.

He shook his head at her chirpiness. He got up and rinsed his glass out and left it in the sink.

"That milk's worked its magic. I'm going to hit the sack." Derek yawned as if on cue and disappeared back upstairs.

Casey put the lid on one of her tin boxes and turned around to pull more cookies out of the stove. She was carefully putting them on a cooling rack when she heard footsteps behind her.

"I have this problem." Derek said. "Ever since I told my first lie when I was little it's like I've opened a Pandora's Box and I can't stop lying."

Casey rolled her eyes and turned around to face him. He was on the opposite side of the island countertop.

"What now?" She asked pointedly.

"Casey, Casey, Casey. Did you really think I wouldn't get you anything for Christmas?" He asked and placed a box on the countertop.

"_Derek_." Casey hadn't really expected him to get her anything and didn't know what to think.

"Are you going to open it now or wait for next Christmas?" He asked impatiently.

"Okay, okay." She said setting a tray of cookies to the side. She tore the paper off and opened the plain box that was underneath.

"Oh…Derek…" Casey stood with her mouth open.

"I can still take it back." Derek said sheepishly.

"No!" Casey said suddenly. She pulled the Toronto snow globe out of the box.

"I noticed you had a lot of those things in your room." He said quickly. "I know you miss Toronto, so I just figured…"

Before Derek could do anything to stop her, Casey ran around the counter separating them and hugged him.

"Uh…" Derek patted Casey's back, not knowing quite what to do.

"My dad got those snow globes for me. He used to get me a new one every birthday. But since I don't get to see him much I guess he just stopped. Thank you, Derek." She said breaking away from the hug.

Derek looked down at her and laughed.

"What?" Casey asked. "Go ahead and ruin the moment by making fun of me."

She started to walk away from him but he grabbed her arm.

"I wasn't making fun of you." He said seriously. "You just have flour on your cheek."

He used his thumb to rub the flour off of her cheek. Surprised by his intimate act, Casey reached up and put her hand on his. He intertwined his fingers with hers and slowly, Derek leaned in closing the gap between them. He softly kissed her lips and then pulled back, looking for a reaction from Casey. She put her free hand behind his neck and pulled him in for another kiss. Her tongue grazed softly over his and then she pulled away again. A small smile pulled at her lips as she stared up at him. She tried to block out all the rational, Casey-like thoughts that filled her mind.

"Help me finish these cookies?" She asked. Her blue eyes stared inquisitively into his brown ones. Derek covered her mouth with his once more.

"As long as I can have another cookie." He grinned.

"I promise." Casey said, her hand still intertwined with Derek's.

/A.N/ Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays everyone!!


End file.
